With regards to services, Mr. Patrick Teoh has pointed out that "By nature, services are other than physical goods". He commented further, "In the service industry, it is not enough if the product meets the functional requirements of the customer, the employee behavior must also meet the customer's expectations and must be of a high standard. The service quality concept is therefore a combination of both technical and human behavioural aspects. Hence, quality management in services requires a different approach from manufacturing".

Discuss two (2) characteristics of service.

For each of the characteristics, discuss the possible service quality problems and provide three (3) recommendations on how service companies could overcome the problems from a quality

management perspective.

(23 marks)